Arnold Palmer
This half-tea, half-lemonade style drink combines black tea tannin with a measured lemon-sugar base. It uses brewed tea, so dry tea leaves are not treated as eaten.
Non-alcoholicMake it like a pro.
About 5 minutes hands-on, 4 minutes steeping and about 20 minutes cooling; ready-chilled tea shortens the wait.
- 01
Prepare plain black tea using one tea bag in about 150 mL freshly boiled water, steeped for 3–4 minutes or according to the package. Remove the bag; weigh 120 g brewed tea for the recipe. Brewing leaves and any unused tea are preparation material.
- 02
Dissolve the sugar in the measured warm tea, then set the container in an ice-water bath and stir until cold, about 20 minutes. Keep bath water outside the drink.
- 03
Stir in the lemon juice and 90 mL cold water. Pour over the measured serving ice and serve the full batch.
Tools for This Recipe
Helpful equipment for making this recipe at home.
A digital scale for repeatable coffee and ingredient measurements.
View on AmazonCitrus pressChef’n FreshForce Citrus JuicerChef’nA handheld press for extracting fresh lemon, lime, and orange juice.
View on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Easy swaps
- Use chilled decaffeinated black tea for a lower-caffeine variation; no exact caffeine value is supplied.
- For a tea-forward version, replace 30 mL of the cold water with 30 g additional brewed tea; the ratio and estimate change.
Mixpert tips
- Cool the sweetened tea before adding serving ice so the glass is not diluted by rapid melting.
- Weigh the brewed tea after removing the tea bag; the dry bag weight does not define the consumed portion.
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Arnold Palmer FAQs
What is an Arnold Palmer made of here?
This reference combines 120 g brewed black tea with a lemon, water and sugar base, then serves it over ice. It is alcohol-free and does not contain vodka or alcoholic bitters.
Can I use bottled sweet tea in this Arnold Palmer?
Bottled sweet tea has its own sugar and flavoring. It would need its label and an adjustment to the separately measured sugar; it is not the plain brewed-tea reference.
Does the Arnold Palmer timing include chilling?
Yes. The total allows tea steeping and about 20 minutes of ice-bath cooling. If you already have chilled plain tea, dissolve the sugar thoroughly in the water instead and assembly is faster.